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April 3, 2001
PHRASAL PREPOSITIONS
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Phrasal Prepositions
Last week we looked at the rules for using prepositions, including two-word verbs that use prepositions (or adverbs) called particles. This week let's look at phrasal prepositions. Here is a list of common examples:
according to (Maria prepared the recipe "according to" her cookbook.)
as for ("As for" the thief, throw him in jail.)
by all means ("By all means," buy the car.)
in care of (Send the letter "in care of" the county jail.)
in case of (Call the fire department "in case of" fire.)
in place of (Ricky studied Latin "in place of" Spanish.)
instead of (Jimmy should just pay the bill "instead of" arguing with the server.)
within earshot of (Don't open the candy "within earshot of" the child.)
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SPELLING OR WRITING TIP
AVOIDING DOUBLE NEGATIVES
Double negatives, which are constructions using two negative words together, are not acceptable in standard English, although they are sometimes found in other languages. Here is a list of commonly-used negative words:
barely
hardly
neither
never
no
none
not
nothing
scarcely
EXAMPLES OF INCORRECT USAGE:
Martha hardly never got to bat at softball.
Jonathan barely ate nothing for dinner.
None of those apples aren't ripe.
CORRECTED USAGE:
Martha hardly got to bat at softball.
Jonathan barely ate anything for dinner.
None of those apples are ripe.
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NEW WORD OF THE WEEK:
INFER (in-fur') verb: To conclude from evidence; to deduce.
Jan was able to infer from his paper trail that Jerome was less than honest.
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YOUR GRAMMAR AND WRITING QUESTIONS
QUESTION: You have helped me a lot with my grammar. I learn something useful every week. Thank you so much!
1. Is "whom" applicable to objects as well as to people?
2. Which preposition is correct?
Give me the books by April 1.
-or-
Give me the books until April 1.
3. Which is correct?
The sales include 400 books by now.
-or-
The sales include 400 books up to this moment.
-or-
The sales include 400 books until now.
GRAMMARCHECK: Thanks for tuning in each week! Here are our answers:
1. "Whom" applies only to people, never to objects.
2. Either choice is correct, depending on your meaning:
Give me the books by April 1. (They must be received by April 1.)
Give me the books until April 1. (I'd like to have them until up to April 1.)
3. Your first two examples may be considered correct under certain conditions.
The sales include 400 books by now. (By this time, 400 books should have been sold.)
The sales include 400 books up to this moment. (Four hundred books have been sold up to this precise point in time.)
The sales include 400 books until now. The meaning is awkward and not suggested for use. However, if you made "include" past tense, the sentence would make sense: The sales included 400 books until now. (Sales were at 400 books, but now there are more--or fewer.)
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QUESTION: I have read your newsletter for six months and find it very helpful. I was an English major in college and the topics you cover are great "refreshers" for common grammar rules. Please help with the following sentences. I hear different views from different people regarding commas in three-item lists. Is this one of those rules based on preference?
I like ice cream, bananas, and cookies.
-or-
I like ice cream, bananas and cookies.
GRAMMARCHECK: While it is true that many people differ on this rule, it is always correct to include a final comma in a series of items as demonstrated in your first example.
However, grammar guides vary in their adherence to this rule. We prefer the final comma, but when in doubt, consult the prevailing guide at hand.
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QUESTION: When using the name of a magazine in a sentence, do you underline it or put it between quotation marks?
GRAMMARCHECK: Underline or italicize the name of a magazine. Quotation marks are used for portions of the whole, like a book chapter or a magazine article.
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QUESTION: I always get confused when two possessives fall in a row. I usually wind up changing the sentence, but this is a slogan and can't be changed. How would you punctuate the following sentence:
The World's Girl's Love Glamour Girl Gowns
-or-
The World's Girls' Love Glamour Girl Gowns
GRAMMARCHECK: Whew! That's a mouthful. We assume the slogan is suggesting that girls of the world love this brand of gowns. If our interpretation is correct, you need only one possessive and one plural, not two possessives. Your sentence should be punctuated like this:
The World's Girls Love Glamour Girl Gowns
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QUESTION: Which would be correct in the following example--effect or affect?
Changing the zoom control on your document screen has no (effect, affect) on the printed document.
GRAMMARCHECK: Remember that "effect" is more commonly used as a noun while "affect" generally functions as a verb. Since your sentence already contains a verb ("has"), it is logical to assume that you need a noun to function as a direct object to your verb. Thus, "effect" is the proper choice:
Changing the zoom control on your document screen has no effect on the printed document.
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